


Red Balloons

by sinecure



Category: Community
Genre: F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-13
Updated: 2012-06-13
Packaged: 2017-11-07 15:33:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,851
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/432701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sinecure/pseuds/sinecure
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jeff shows up at Annie's with a handful of balloons and something on his mind.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Red Balloons

**Author's Note:**

> **Author:** sinecure  
>  **Disclaimer:** I don't own Community and I make no money from it.  
>  **Spoilers:** Early season 3?  
>  **A/N:** From a Ficcy Friday prompt by over at milady_milord on LiveJournal. This image was the prompt: [Clicky-click](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v729/Supercapo/tumblr_m40yqmtsqB1qj2frgo1_400.jpg)  
> 

Jeff took another deep breath, let it out and then knocked on Annie's door. Well, technically, Troy, Abed, and Annie's door. But Annie was the only one home. Abed had sworn he'd have Troy out of there by eight. And it was now--

He glanced at his watch.

\--five after.

When he heard footsteps, he straightened up and planted a smile on his face, then quickly dropped it. He couldn't remember how to smile right. How high should his lips go? Crap! She was almost there. He tried again, smiling mildly, hoping he didn't look too much like an axe murderer.

The door opened a second after he fixed the smile to his face and he almost released his fist. Annie was leaning forward, right arm crossed over her body to swing the door open because her left arm was busy holding up her towel.

She was dripping.

Oh, god.

Swallowing, he forced his eyes up, higher than her completely bare legs, way more bare than her skirts ever showed. Past the fluffy, white towel, quickly, so quickly, past her breasts, swelling over the towel where it was wrapped tightly around her chest.

"Crap."

She frowned, straightening up. "Um." Shoving her freshly combed wet hair over her shoulder, she slid her eyes along the ribbons in his clenched fist and higher, to the three red balloons. "Jeff?" She looked past him, into the hall, as if she expected the others to jump out suddenly and yell 'surprise!'. "Is something wrong? Though, wrong and balloons don't usually go together." She smiled widely.

A drop of water ran down her neck, slipping over her shoulder and skating down her breast, dipping into the valley between.

"You're wet."

She crossed her arms under her breasts, pushing them up higher. "Showers usually have that effect. Why are you carrying balloons?"

Instead of answering, he shoved them toward her, moving so suddenly that she jerked back, startled. "They're for you." Brilliant. His IQ had suddenly sunk to the level of a pillow. _Get a grip, Winger._ She was no different from all the other wet women he'd seen. Not different at all. Except that she was Annie.

"Oh." She reached out slowly and closed her hand around the ribbons above his hand, pulling the bobbing balloons toward her under the doorjamb. "Thank you? Jeff, is everything okay? You don't look so good."

"Yeah. Yeah, it's fine. I'm fine." Getting a grip on himself, he moved past her into the apartment. He'd come here for a reason and this wasn't going to deter him. Turning in the middle of the room, he watched her shut the door and turn to him. She released the balloons, watching them drift toward the ceiling.

A joyful smile graced her lips for a moment, then lingered a little longer as she returned her gaze to him.

More water dripped down her arms and neck, making him wish he could trail his tongue along that same path.

"I need clothes. I'll be back in a minute. Make yourself at blah, blah, blah."

She headed past him and something made him reach out and grab her wrist. "You don't need clothes."

Blinking, she stared at his hand on her wrist. "This towel isn't the most secure and it doesn't cover a whole lot."

"Exactly." Drawing her closer, finding his confidence again somewhere in the brightness of her blue eyes and her flushed skin, he twined his fingers with hers. "In fact, I think it needs to go."

Her eyes widened, staring from him to their hands. "Jeff, what is this?"

Pulling her closer with a little tug on her hand, he cupped the side of her neck, feeling her damp skin beneath his palm. "Well, Annie. This was supposed to be me coming over to wish you a happy birthday--"

"My birthday was almost nine months ago."

"--and to ask you out. On a date. With me. But how about we start with a kiss, move on to dinner later, and then--"

She jerked out of his grip--why was she not touching him anymore?--staring at him like he'd grown a horn or two on his forehead. "If you say sex, I'm going to deck you, Jeff. This is-- this is how you finally ask me out? Oh, hey, why not just throw me down and have it? Huh?" She flailed her arms out and the towel... stayed.

Why was the towel staying?

His eyes fastened on where it was tied, just beside her left breast. A really good place to be tied, but it was tied too tightly.

"Or! Or, you could just saunter over here, shove some balloons at my face and tell me to get naked and have dinner with you." She scoffed so loudly that he worried for her throat. "Seriously, Jeff, what made you think I'd just jump into bed with you and--"

Taking her face in his hands, he drew her in for a kiss, but she slapped at him with both hands, shoving him from her.

"I can't believe you!" Storming off, she headed into her room, slamming the door behind her. He heard the lock click and felt offended.

"I'm not going to break the door down, Annie." Rolling his eyes, more at himself than at her, he dropped to the recliner Abed usually occupied and rubbed his face tiredly. This wasn't going at all like he'd planned.

"Yeah, well, I didn't think you do _this_ , either!" Her voice was muffled and a little breathless. Not from him, he was sure. He imagined her running around, grabbing clothes from her closet and her drawers.

Panties.

A bra.

Silk? Maybe red? Black.

Black lace bra and panties. With stockings and a pair of high heels.

"Holy--" Willing his body to stop responding to the image, he jumped back up again, beginning to pace in front of her door.

Plaid skirt. White shirt tied at the midriff... no. Bad images. The young thing wasn't appropriate on the actual young girl. But holy fuck it was still hot.

"Annie," he called, swallowing thickly and stopping to stare at her door. "I... I didn't come here to sleep with you." No response, so he raised his voice. "I came to ask you out and Abed said that I needed something, like a gift. He suggested flowers, but I know you're not a big flower fan, because they just whither and die--"

"Balloons whither and die too." She sounded calmer, but still a little angry. And no longer breathless.

Pity. He liked the way she sounded when she was breathless.

Moving closer to the door, he took a deep breath, lowering his voice so that he was no longer yelling. "Okay, well, I thought you'd like them. Next time, I'll get chocolates or a stuffed animal or something."

"It's not that I don't like them. I like balloons. I love them, they're fun and festive and they're a happy thing." She was closer still and he took another step toward her door, leaning against the jamb.

"Noted." Was she just on the other side of the door? Was she dressed? He didn't care what she was wearing, he just wanted to see her, to talk to her face to face so they could straighten this out. "Annie, I didn't know what to say when I got here, so I just blurted out words. Stupid words that, of course, you wouldn't respond well too. And you shouldn't."

"Damn right." Her voice _was_ just on the other side of the wooden door, so close he felt like he could reach out and touch her. "Why my birthday though? It was almost nine months ago. Remember? I turned 21 and you and the others took me out for a drink. _I_ didn't get drunk, _you_ didn't get drunk, _Britta_... got drunk, but she was sweet and really sappy and kind of grabby. Did she grab your ass too?"

Jeff chuckled, remembering the night of Annie's 21st for so many reasons, but mostly because she'd given him a peck on the cheek to thank him for taking her out to celebrate. And Britta's grabby hands. "Yeah. She grabbed Pierce's ass too. I think he blushed."

Laughter rang out through the door, followed by a soft sigh. "I don't understand, Jeff. What happened? This... we aren't--"

"We could be," he quickly interjected, not wanting to hear her finish her sentence because then it'd be too easy for her to follow that up with more rejections. "I was going to wait until your 22nd birthday before starting anything with you--"

"Because it's all _your_ decision. Jeff, I have skin in the game too."

He inwardly groaned at the image her words brought to mind.

"It can't just be your decision. I'm not going to jump at the opportunity just because you're finally ready."

"I know. That's why I was..." He paused, leaning his head back against the jamb, staring at the door, wishing he were looking at her instead. "I was nervous. So, I rambled about getting naked and, and, Annie I just couldn't wait for your next birthday, so I sped up my timetable and came a few months early. I want you."

He heard what could've been a sharp breath from Annie, but she remained silent.

"I want you to go out with me, and date me, and, yes, have sex with me, and I want to be stupid and romantic with you. I--" He settled his hand on the door, wishing she were there, wishing it wasn't a damn door he was confessing to. "Let me give you romance."

Silence.

He held his breath, waiting. Her decision would affect their lives going forward. Tonight, right now, this very moment, was where their relationship either started or ended. And at the moment, he wasn't sure which way it would go.

Silence.

Tensing, he curled his fingers into his palm, nodding to himself. That was his answer. Annie didn't want to--

The door flew open and Annie stood framed in the doorway, hair still wet, towel gone. She was breathless, standing in jeans and a t-shirt, looking fresh-faced and beautiful.

Neither spoke, but her lips began to curve up and his followed.

Dropping his hand to his side, he took hers, pulling her forward the few inches separating them. "Yeah?"

"Yeah." She smiled brighter, looking up at him. "I think I'd like to see some of this romance you claim to have in store for me."

 _His_ lips quirked up higher as well. "Well, we could begin with this." He leaned down and lightly kissed her, lips just brushing hers. "Then we can move on to long walks by the lake at sunset and a picnic in the park."

"Shirley coached you?"

Pressing his lips tight, hiding a grin, he nodded, having the presence of mind to look slightly ashamed. "She did."

Wrapping her arms around his neck, Annie brought him down for a kiss, not just brushing their lips together, but opening her mouth on his, hungrily and passionately. "I'm okay with that."


End file.
